According to Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), surgical gowns are classified into 4 categories (i.e., AAMI 1, 2, 3 and 4, with AAMI 4 providing the highest protective level).
Barrier laminates suitable for AAMI 4-rated barrier laminates (e.g., surgical gowns) must pass stringent tests that evaluate barrier properties and whether the exhibited barrier properties would prevent body fluid and viral penetration, for example, while keeping a high level of breathability to ensure a wearer's comfort. These tests are known as ASTM F1670 and F1671. For a barrier laminate to be suitable for use as an AAMI 4-rated barrier laminate for use in construction of, for example, surgical gowns, the gown chest and its sleeves must each successfully pass these tests. Furthermore, the seam areas of sleeves must also pass these tests.
For some barrier laminate materials (e.g., having a nonwoven-film-nonwoven structure), however, impermeable seams formed from the barrier laminate materials is difficult to consistently offer while using a thermal bonding method known as heat sealing. Less than desirable seam barrier properties may occur when the basis weight of, for example, when material incompatibility between the film forming the core of the barrier laminate and the nonwoven layers forming the skins of the barrier laminate.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for articles (e.g., formed of barrier laminates in the form of surgical gowns, sleeves, surgical drapes, pant legs, etc.) including seams providing excellent barrier properties and methods of making such articles.